Combination mounting plate for instrument panels



5mm, 12, 12 532. J. E. ESHBAUGH 1,840,494

COMBINATION MOUNTING PLATE FOR INSTRUMENT PANELS Filed Aug. 18, 1928Fatented Jan. 12, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIOE JESSE E, ESHBAUGH, 0FFLINT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO A C SPARK PLUG COMPANY, OF FLINT, MICHIGAN,A COMPANY OF MICHIGAN COMBINATION MOUNTING FLATE FOB INSTRULIENT PANELSApplication filed August 18, 1928. Serial. No. 300,494.

. This invention aims: primarily at such economies in the manufacture ofinstrument panels, of varying types, as may be obtainable by theexpedient of using, in various panels, a single or universal or standardback plate or mounting plate,provided with openings having more numerousarcuate edges than are needed in any one installation. A. single set ofdies may thus be adequate for use in providing back plates which aresuitable for alternative incorporation into, say 3-instrument panels,4-instrument panels, and/or 5-instrument panels.

It is an object of this invention to provide each instrument supportingplate or back plate with intersecting circular or other arcuate edgessuch that but one style of plate need be kept in stock,for a givenseries of cars, in quantities suitable to meet atotal demand. Suchplates may be made up, as required, into different combinations, asfluctuations in demand suggest,the preferred type of back plate beingsuch that it can be associated with alternative front or face platesconstructed so as to conceal by reason of the opacity of the latteranyunused apertures or edges in said back plate; and identical back platesmay thusbe used in the support of several circular instruments (notexceeding, say, six) in various symmetrical or other arrangements.

' It is an object of this invention, in the preferred form thereof, toprovide a back plate with what may be referred to as a triplicate seriesof triplicate openings,a central opening having two axes of syn'nnetry,terminal openings, associated therewith, having only a horizontal axisof symmetry, and all of said openings being formed as if by theintersection of two or more small circles with one another or with acentral or intermediate circle which may have a larger radius. Theconstruction here referred to is such that either circular or otherarcuate edges of each openings may be used to support an instrument orinstruments of suitable diameter; and, in preferred embodiments of thisinvention, intermediate and large circles being represented, in eachcase, by segments (which need not together equal 180) the smallercircles may each be represented by a continuous-edge or are exceeding180 each circle may have associated therewith a pair of suitably spacedsmall openings for the reception of instrument-retaining screws or thelike; and each back plate may also be provided with one or more openingsfor the reception of instrument lights, or the like, and with an annularshoulder for the reception of a front or face plate.

ther objects of this invention, the practice of which may incidentallydiminish the weight of back plates and may yield a more valuable scrapthan can result from the cutting of openings which are each adapted to asingle use, may be best appreciated from the following description,taken in connection with the appended claims and the accompanying'drawings.

Figure 1 may be referred to as a forwarc looking elevational Viewshowing a back plate which is integral with a peripheral retainingflange or bezel, parts being broken away.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially as indicatedby the line 2:2 of Figure 1 and showing, in dotted lines,- parts of aninstrument board, an opaque front plate, instruments and retainingmeanshereinafter referred to.

Figure 3 is a forward-looking elevational view showing an instrumentpanel as" including a supporting plate of the general characterillustrated in Figure 1, said plate being used in the support of fourinstruments.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, but showing the use of a backplate, of the same type, in supporting five instruments.

Figure 5 is a View similar to Figures 3 and 4 but showing the use of aback plate, of the same type, in the support of three instruments, insymmetrical arrangement.

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, a mounting or back plate 11 is shownas comprising a main depressed portion surrounded by a flange or bezel12 and adapted to interfit within a suitable opening in an instrumentboard 13 and the said back plate, is shown as provided with threeinstrument openings,intermediate opening 14, centrally disposed, andadditional openings 15 and 16', symmetrically disposed with reference tothe intermediate opening 1 1; and each of said open ings may be formedas if by the intersection of circles differing in size.

hat is to say, to provide for the support of instruments varying indiameter, the openings 15 and 16, shown as having only a horizontal axisof symmetry, may comprise upper arcuate edges 15a (or 16a) intermediatearcuate edges of larger circles 156 (or 165) and lower arcuate edges 150(or 160) whereas the opening 14, having both horizontal and verticalaxes of symmetry, is shown as comprising an upper arcuate edge 1 1a,intermediate arcuate edges 14?) and lower arcuate edge 140. It will benoted that, in this triplicate series of triplicate openings, the topand bottom arcuate edges in each case exceed 180 inlength, whereas theintermediate or central portions of the respective openings are providedby unequal or equal pairs of arcuate edges, oppositely disposed andadapted to co-operate in the retention of instruments interlittingtherein; and each portion of each opening is shown as having associatedtherewith a pair of tapped bosses 17 17 suitable for the reception ofscrews 18, 18 shown as used in the securing of clips or clampingelements 19, 19, for the engagement of flanges 20 upon any suitablelarger instruments 21 or smaller instruments 21. It is of interest tonote that, referring only to symmetrical arrangements of two or moreinstruments, asingle back plate of the described character may be usedin connection with no less than twenty-one alternativearrangements,including the following:

Two-instrument arrangements,

15a, 16a 15b, 16b 15c, 160; 14a, 140.

15a, 14a, 16a, 15a, 14b, 16a, 1511, 140, 16a; 15b, 14a, 16b, 15b. 14b,16b, 15b 14c, 16b, 160, 14a, 160; 15c, 14b, 16c; 15c, 14c, 16c.

Four-instrument arrangement,-

1511, 150, 16a, 160; 15a, 14a, 140, 16a 15b, 1401, 14c, 16!) Five-instrument arrangements,-

15a, 150, 14a, 16a, 16a; 15a, 150, 14?), 16a, 160; 15a, 150, 140, 16a,16a.

SiX-instrument arrangement,-

15m, 150, 14a, 140, 16a, 16c.

Among the foregoing arrangements it is probable that those shown inFigs. 3, 4t, and 5 may be of greatest practical importance; but itshould be understood that neither the illustrated form of opening northe use of series of three openings is essential to the principles ofthis invention; that alternative means might be employed in the securingof instruments in said openings; and that provision of additionalopenings, as suggested at 22 and 22, for the reception of concealed orother lights, may be regarded as of subordinate importance or immaterialto the present invention. The disclosure of Figure 5 will be seen toaccord with Figure 2 in suggesting the support of three largeinstruments 21 in the respective central portions defined by edges 15?),14b and 16b of openings 15, 14 and 16 in a back plate 11, unusedportions of said plate openings, including edges 15a, 150,;14a, 140, 16aand 160, being concealed by face plate 23; and in the fourinstrumentdisclosure of Figure 3 (comprising two large instruments 21 and twosmaller instruments 21) as also in the five-instrument disclosure ofFigure 4 (comprising one large instrument 21 and four smallerinstruments 21') the respective face plates 23a and 232') perform likefunctions; but it will be obvious that the flange 12 may be integralwith either a plate 11 or a plate 2.3 (or 2311 or 235) and that, insteadof securing said plates to one another by means such as tongues 24,extending from a flange through an annular shoulder 26, any desiredalternative means might be employed for the purpose here referred to.

Although the foregoing description includes details of but one completeembodiment of the present invention, it should be understood thatnumerous modifications thereof might easily be devised, Withoutinvolving the slightest departure from the spirit and scope of saidinvention.

I claim:

1. For use in an instrument panel including an opaque front plate, aback plate provided with openings, each opening defined by intersectingand interrupted arcuate edges the arcs of which are generated fromdifferent positions on the plane of the plate, the length and spacing ofsaid edges of each opening adapting the same to the retention ofinstruments in alternative but substantially symmetrical arrangements,each of said openings being triplicate in character, each instrumentsupported from the arcuate edge of one generatrix only.

2. For use in an instrument panel including an opaque front plate, aback plate proe vided with openings, each opening defined byintersecting and interrupted arcuate edges the arcs of which aregenerated from different positions on the plane of the plate, the lengthand spacing of the edges of each opening adapting the same to theretention of instruments in alternative but substantially symmetricalarrangements, each opening being triplicate in character andintermediate portions thereof being of greater diameter than terminalportions thereof, each instrument supported from the arcuate edge of onegeneratrix only.

3. For use in an instrument panel including an opaque front plate, aback plate provided with terminal openings and an intermediate opening,each of irregular contour and formed by the intersection of thecircumferences of three circles, said terminal openings beingsubstantially symmetrical with reference to a horizontal axis and saidintermediate opening being substantially symmetrical with reference toboth a horizontal axis and a vertical axis.

4. For use in an instrument panel including an opaque front plate, aback plate provided with terminal openings and an intermediate opening,each of irregular contour and formed by the intersection of thecircumferences of three circles, said terminal openings beingsubstantially symmetrical with reference to a horizontal axis and saidintermediate opening being substantially symmetrical with reference toboth a horizontal axis and a vertical axis, and central portions of saidopenings being of greater diameter than terminal portions thereof.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JESSE E. ESHBAUGH.

